


A Birthday Or Two

by Kaios



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Birthdays, Fluff, Kisses, M/M, THE PAIN IS BEAUTIFUL, a bit of angst, mentions of Teikou Arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4852490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaios/pseuds/Kaios
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Echoing. Echoing. Always there, the presents he gave -- but this year, there wouldn't be a present. He'd dealt too much damage.<br/>Believing that so firmly, what will Akashi Seijuurou do upon seeing Kuroko Tetsuya in his doorway?<br/>Akashi is insecure. For the first half, at least.<br/>Then he just starts playing downright dirty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Birthday Or Two

**Author's Note:**

  * For [04-akakuro-11 on Tumblr ; v ;](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=04-akakuro-11+on+Tumblr+%3B+v+%3B).



**_BEGUN ON: 23.09.15  
_ ** **_FINISHED ON: 23.09.15_ **

**_  
_**

_***NOTE: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO 04-AKAKURO-11 ON TUMBLR !!!! She's so adorable and cool and despite only meeting recently, I'm proud to call her my friend :D. Her art is so cute and amazing and aosijsolkdmg she ships AkaKuro too, so yES you should follow her ; w ;_  
This is actually a late birthday present, because I found out it was her birthday AFTER the actual day, so ... Yes, late happy birthday!  
I do hope this makes you grin so hard your cheeks hurt~ And also, cry. Cry out of happiness and pain. (It'll make me happy.)

* * *

 

 

It had been a year.

One whole year, or one fleeting year?

It passed much too quickly; yet, the final year of middle school felt so far away.

That was what was on Kuroko's mind as he strolled through the library, examining the bookshelves. He hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the missing gaps between the novels. Despite it being late in the year, there were quite a few students in the library; the rest of the library committee had dodged their duties, leaving a measly number of staff to supervise.

Kuroko's misdirection, however, made him much less of a help than he'd like to be.

(It was very useful, though, when he wanted to leave the counter to delve into a new novel that'd just arrived. Being a Library Committee member had its perks, after all. First grabs at the new arrivals -- what more could he ask for?)

Absentmindedly, he glanced up at the calendar, all white and pristine.

_'Exactly a week until school finishes...'_

He heaved a sigh. With Hyuuga and Riko double-teaming to yell and point out mistakes, basketball practice was certainly taking its toll on him--

\--well, he wasn't the only one suffering, he noted amusedly as he glanced over at a nearby table.

Behold, for there was Seirin's almighty ace.

Sprawled out on the table.

The _library_ table, that he worked so _hard_ to clean--

The library table that _he just scrubbed clear of the graffiti--_

_The library table that Kagami was drooling on--!_

_Oh god, someone was going to get hurt._

A menacing aura seeped out of the phantom as he silently changed course, strolling over to the unconscious power forward. A few students nearby yelped at the sudden appearance (it seemed that projecting a sinister aura would do him no favours if he wanted to stay invisible, he mused). Calmly, frighteningly so, he reached behind him, grasping the plastic broom resting against the shelf.

He raised it above his head with both hands, deep azure orbs strangely darker as he gazed at his friend.

_'Four... Three...'_

If Kagami didn't wake up before the countdown ended,

he was going to _die._

_'Two...'_

Powder blue locks swayed gently.

_'...One, zero.'_

His beautiful, sky-coloured tresses splayed out around him like a halo as he swung down with all his might, eyes mesmerising, with hues like the deep marine--

He looked like an angel--

\--or, rather, a god of Death.

He swung downwards.

The resounding crack and shout were loud enough to get his friend kicked out of the library. It took a mere four point six seconds for the broom to mysteriously relocate back to its original position, and a mere zero seconds for the culprit to reappear behind the counter, expression deceptively innocent despite the mischievious glint in his eyes and the very, _very_ subtle quirk of his lips.

Kagami refused to talk to him for the rest of the day.

* * *

The 25th of December. That's when the school year would officially end.

Somehow, Kuroko had the sinking feeling he was missing something here.

It was the 18th yesterday, the nineteenth today...

 _Oh god,_ he realised; it was his former captain's birthday.

_In LESS THAN TWENTY FOUR HOURS._

He was screwed.

How was he going to get to Kyoto? How long did it take to get there? Which subway line did he have to take? What was he going to buy as a present? Wait, hold on, before that, was Akashi even _free_? Rakuzan's starters seemed likely to bother him, and-- but wait, would Akashi _let_ them bother him, anyway? Wait -- they _did_ seem pretty close, and, he recalled with a sharp pang of pain in his chest, one of them was calling him _"Sei-chan"_.

_How dare they call his Akashi-kun so familiarly--_

Kuroko blinked. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Sighing deeply, he shook his head to dispel all his thoughts.

 _No_ , that wasn't what he had to consider right now. Right now, he'd focus on the present -- how he was going to get to Kyoto, and-- _hah, **present--**_

\--in the back of his mind, he heard Izuki laugh and cheer for another day, another good pun--

Oh god this wasn't the time to get infected by _Izuki-senpai,_ of all people; he didn't want an angry Hyuuga on his ass, either.

Steeling his resolve, Seirin's famed sixth man hopped on the library computer _the damn thing was always really slow and who even used technology, ignore about 80 - 90% of the population, why don't you,_ clicking open a tab with frightening speed that was quickly demolished by the amount of lag.

 _「東京から　京都までの　しんかんせん」_ _  
"bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto"_

_'Five hours and thirty-nine minutes, huh...'_

Kuroko chewed on his lip thoughtfully, and he glanced down at the time.

_"13:42"_

Sending a quick text to Kagami, Kuroko mentally apologised for skipping the rest of school -- but this was a _dire emergency._ It was the Friday of the second last week, anywho. Luckily, he had no Saturday classes the following day.

Time to go shopping.

* * *

 Strangely, browsing through supermarket items made him feel at ease.

After a long, winding hour of gift-searching, Kuroko remembered a fact that made him want to bash his head on the metal pole he'd cried on back in his middle school years for all the wasted effort.

His eyes lit up as he found the revered item.

_'Ah, it's even on discount. Lucky.'_

(Somewhere in Akita, Murasakibara flipped over a popsicle stick and cursed the Kiseki's beloved _Kuro-chin_ for having all the luck with food. Why couldn't that luck have rubbed onto him in their years spent together? _Hmmmm,_ maybe he hadn't patted his head enough... Perhaps vigorous hair-ruffling would do the trick of absorbing luck next time.

 _'Ah, wait, or I could carry Kuro-chin around like a lucky charm. Aka-chin can get him to come to Akita, right? Kuro-chin always listens to Aka-chin...'_ )

Kuroko felt a shiver creep up his spine as he carefully blanked out his expression, bracing for the amusement in startling the cashier.

* * *

  _'Ah... It's only been a year.'_

Akashi silently cursed at his own weakness.

_"Oi, Akashi... Tetsu reminded me that it was, well, your birthday. So, here."_

_"Akashi-kun, I didn't know what to get you as a present, so I baked something!"_

_"Holy shit, Satsuki, no! You'll kill the man! Are you trying to murder our captain?!"_

_"Aominecchi, Momocchi put all her love into that cake! Don't be rude! And here, Akashicchi, I got you a doll~ Isn't it cute? Ah, it's not from one of my fangirls, okay?! I bought this myself!"_

_"Then, Kise, will you eat her baking? Hmm?"_

_"A-ah... N-n-no, it's for Akashicchi! Geez, don't offer someone else's present to me! Ah, or, could Aominecchi be one of my secret fans, too? It's not your homemade cooking though, so come back when you've made something yourself~"_

_"S-shut up, Kise! Who'd wanna be **your** fan, anyway?!"_

_"Shut up, you two. It's unsightly. But uh, well, I got you something, too, anyway. Not like you would require anything, since your family's well-off, but. Uh. I got you a foldeable shougi board. You know, because the one you have now isn't easy to carry around, and uh..."_

_"Midorima-kun, I think that's enough."_

_"Mido-chin just won't shut up when he's all flustered~ Such a tsundere."_

_"Wha-- I am not!"_

_"Midorima, man, that's gross. Stop. You're blushing."_

_"Shut up, you uncivilised pig!"_

_"What did you call me, you glasses-zodiac freak?!"_

_"Midorimacchi, Aominecchi, stop!"_

_"Aka-chin~ I got you snacks. A lot of snacks. Take them now, or I'll eat them myself."_

_Akashi made a strangled noise, and all of the members turned, surprised._

_He huffed a little, before breaking--_

_\--he was laughing._

_Their captain was **laughing.**_

_Feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, they all stared at each other, eyes wide, rapidly looking from Akashi back to each other. Their mouths hung open for a few moments before they, too, joined in. The whole room dissolved into waves of mirth, the sun setting, casting a brilliant orange-crimson over the club, illuminating their faces beautifully--_

_"Thank you," Akashi said quietly once they'd calmed down, "thank you all so much. I'm glad I can celebrate with you all by my side."_

_They would all deny it if anyone ever brought up their tears that day to conversation._

_Filled with an almost suffocating amount of sheer joy and about another million emotions, it was only after everyone had left that Kuroko tugged on the hem of Akashi's jacket, startling him slightly._

_"Akashi-kun, uhm. I also got you something, but it's a little similar to Midorima-kun's, so I do hope you'll still be able to make good use of it."_

_Akashi hummed lightly as he took the outstretched bag, and peered inside._

_It was a beautiful glass chess set, the pieces clear and completely translucent, polished to the finest degree. He registered the faint, barely noticeable yet still discernable scent of solution on Kuroko's fingertips, and his lips curved upwards._

_Akashi smiled at him, widely yet gently, filled with so much fondness that it made Kuroko's heart ache--_

_The smile that was reserved for him._

_Always, always reserved for only him._

_The next hour was spent in mostly silence, only the occasional comment, chuckle, and small clacks of glass on glass slipping through their comforting serenity._

_The one time that Kuroko had dared to look up, his eyes had widened and his hand had frozen mid-air, frosted glass bishop in hand--_

_"Beautiful," the words had fallen from his lips before he had the chance to think it through. Instantly, he jolted, snapping out of his daze, and a flush spread across his cheeks. Akashi smirked amusedly._

_"Are you blushing?"_

_"N-no, it's the sunset," he answered in what would have been a convincing tone if not for the stutter. Still, throughout the game, Akashi pretended not to notice the fleeting glances Kuroko gave him -- for if he met his eyes whilst he had that endearingly bashful expression, he wasn't sure he'd be able to hold back._

_Kuroko's expression softened as he observed his captain._

_Really, with Akashi basically **glowing** in the hundreds of shades of vermillion and amber, eyes ablaze with the prospect of challenge, how was he suppposed to not fall even deeper?_

_Unknowingly, Akashi's cheeks were tinged with a pink that certainly wasn't from the sun._

_There he was, the Generation of Miracles' beloved phantom, in front of him, his usual sky-and-ocean-coloured self painted over with Akashi's own hue--_

_'Beautiful.'_

* * *

  _"Who are... You...?"_

_"I'm Akashi Seijuurou, of course... Tetsuya."_

_That year, his birthday had not been celebrated._

_Nor had any of theirs._

_And the year after that, before Kuroko seemingly erased himself completely from their lives, when he had returned home, there had been a package. A delivery, from somewhere. It was awfully long, somewhat thin, and yet surprisingly light._

_It had been labelled as "FRAGILE", and so, he'd taken it carefully up to his room, ignoring the protests of "let me help, young master!" from his butler._

_When he unwrapped the strangely rectangular object, his eyes had widened, left eye bleeding back to its usual red, golden flecks still visible, without his notice._

_His eyes glistened suspiciously as they softened._

_There it was, in all of its glory --_

_A captivating, giant, watercolour painting over half his size -- thousands of shades blended professionally to form a large portrait._

_It was their basketball club, on the day of Akashi's birthday during their first year._

_Akashi blinked, refusing to admit that his eyes were moist._

_However, the canvas was too thick for a single watercolour painting. He peeled back the first layer--_

_\--and that was when the tears really fell._

**_「お誕生日　おめでとうございます、　赤司君。　今まで、　色々本当に　ありがとうございました。黒子　テツヤ」_ **

**_"Happy birthday, Akashi-kun. Thank you so much for everything up until now. Kuroko Tetsuya"_ **

 

_Kuroko had asked for the sole scene of their two figures, bathed in the colours of fire, blood, Akashi's colours, to be painted. That same day, hours later, when they had spent the rest of the evening together in comfortable quiet. Surely enough, the artist had skilfully painted his glass chess set, down to the very detail, between them._

_And for the first time since his mother had passed, Akashi allowed himself to really cry._

_He sobbed himself to sleep that night, allowing himself those moments of weakness, allowing himself to wonder why he'd ever let Tetsuya -- let Kuroko go in the first place._

_By the morning, he'd continued to live as if that night had never happened._

_But the pain never dulled, and his feelings never left._

Even now, he supposed, as he brushed a hand over the painting hung up on the wall.

He hadn't looked underneath it even once since the first time.

Surprisingly disheartened, Akashi lowered himself to his bed, back sinking into luxurious silk. He tore his gaze away from the present.

Despite Kuroko accepting him once more -- _no,_ as Kuroko had said, he'd never rejected him in the first place -- Akashi didn't allow a single sliver of forgiveness in himself. Perhaps in weeks, months, he'd be able to smile by Kuroko's side without the guilt again. But not right now.

He had one last, fleeting thought before his vision turned to black.

_'Ah... Right. There'll be nobody to celebrate with, this year.'_

* * *

 Kuroko fidgeted nervously in his seat. It was going to be a long ride, and anxiety right now definitely wasn't making it any shorter. Neither was the lack of sleep, but that was the least of his worries right now.

He knew that, yet...

_'But it's so nerve-wracking.'_

He shifted again, tugging at his sleeves. Inwardly, he thanked Japan for the bullet trains all over their country -- his gift certainly was grateful for the lack of bumps and jostling, at least.

Glancing over and over again at the bag, Kuroko decided it was time to put an end to his unrestlessness. Stubbornly, he opened up a short novel, forcing himself into the fantasy world.

The next time he'd looked up, three hours had passed.

_'Thank god. I can do this.'_

To his despair, he spent the next two and a half hours futilely attempting to immerse himself in letters that he no longer registered at all. And by the time he reached Kyoto, he'd completely forgotten what the novel was about.

* * *

 "Akashi-sama, there's someone here to meet you."

On that fine Saturday morning, AKA Akashi's birthday, AKA the one day in which he miraculously had no weekend classes, Akashi was awoken rudely. He wanted to sleep in for once, but it seemed that, even on his birthday, nobody would give him any slack.

However, no amount of sleep would have prepared him for what he saw next.

"Akashi-kun."

So much blue.

Blue flooded his vision, and he was temporarily blinded at the light, silvery shade. Then, belatedly, he realised what it was.

His mouth fell open slightly, dignified façade shattering. Kuroko simply met his stare head-on, although Akashi could see his amusement.

"...Kuroko. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to celebrate your birthday."

Akashi blinked.

"My... Birthday," he echoed, uncharacteristically timid.

"Yes. The 20th of December. Or was there a sudden change of date that I was unaware of?" Kuroko jived, eyes sparkling. Akashi's lips slowly spread into a small, content smile, before pain stabbed him in the chest.

_'You don't deserve this.'_

Right. He didn't deserve this, after all he'd done.

"...No. Would you like to come up to my room?"

"That'd be great, yes. Uh, actually, is food prohibited in your room, or...?"

"You can bring whatever you'd like up."

"Okay! Then, can you wait in your room for a bit?"

Akashi raised a brow at the unusual suggestion, nonetheless nodding.

"Okay."

* * *

 The fragrance of his favourite food wafted throughout the room the second he opened the door, and Akashi perked up. Kuroko was holding a freshly made pot of boiled tofu soup, two smaller bowls stacked on top of it haphazardly, ladle firmly sandwiched between his arm and his ribs, and cheeks slightly flushed from the heat. Shining with pride, he set the dish down on the table and pulled off his gloves.

"I _did_ buy you a small birthday cake, too, but that can be after this."

Akashi was at a lost for words, so he settled for a soft smile. Kuroko's heart leaped, simultaneously aching.

It had really been too long since he saw _him_.

Akashi set out the bowls, but Kuroko quickly grabbed his hand before he could reach the ladle. They both pointedly tried to ignore the effect that such physical contact had on them.

"U-uh, it's your birthday, so... Let me," Kuroko justified. Akashi relented with a small exhale.

It was only until after they'd finished their first bowls that he finally managed a small, quiet, but not any less sincere, "Thank you."

Kuroko stiffened, and all the tension seemed to melt away at once. He stood up abruptly.

Walking over to Akashi, he enveloped him in a tight, yet not chokingly so, embrace. Kuroko buried his face into Akashi's chest, and didn't say a single word. The Rakuzan captain felt hot tears soak into his shirt. Almost tentatively, he placed one hand on Kuroko's back, one on his head. He stroked his hair and patted his back comfortingly.

"Thank you," he repeated gently, "thank you so much for everything."

"No," Kuroko managed to say, sentence broken by sobs, "I've missed you so much."

"I don't... Deserve this," Akashi said unsurely, voice quiet. At that, Kuroko whipped his head up in disbelief. His eyes shone defiantly, and the redhead found himself unable to look away.

"Are you serious, Akashi-kun? You've been through just as much as we have. You understand what you've done, and none of us have ever despised you for it. So why are you being so hard on yourself? I just want you to understand that your importance to us, to _me_ , has never changed. It never will."

His breath hitched at the male's words.

"Thank you," he whispered.

And in that moment, it was enough.

No matter how broken they were, no matter how painful it was, they'd always come back together. Whether it be this birthday, the next, the one in forty years -- they'd be together. They'd always celebrate. This, Akashi knew; because his favourite phantom had always been much too stubborn to let it go otherwise. Him being here now was proof of that.

It was enough.

It was _enough_ , being together -- bodies pressed tight against each other, arms wrapped securely around each others' waists.

* * *

 "And that was the day that we found Nigou," Kuroko explained enthusiastically. Akashi couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face as he listened to Kuroko's stories.

"Nigou seems-- wait, I never got the cake!"

He jumped up quickly, dashing over to the bag with surprising speed. Akashi let out a soft chuckle at his antics.

"I wasn't entirely sure what flavour you liked, but I remember you said you liked red velvet, so..." Kuroko trailed off, bringing out the small, yet intricately decorated cake. He flashed Akashi a sheepish grin.

"Happy birthday, Akashi-kun."

"Thank you."

They both uttered a small "thank you for the meal" before tucking in to the cake. Akashi finished his, licking his lips in delight at the pleasant taste.

"That was delicious, Kuroko--"

He cut himself off upon noticing the said student's gaze locked on his lips, which slowly upturned into a smirk. Kuroko instantly turned red.

"A-ah, no, t-that was-- I'm glad it was d-delicious, I--"

"Kuroko," Akashi murmured, voice dropping lower, silky and smooth like velvet and so, _so_ rich and dark with sin--

He shifted over to the blushing male, a hand reaching out to carress his alabaster cheek.

"Do you want me?"

The sharp inhale was almost like music to Akashi's ears. His eyelids lowered seductively.

"Hmm, Kuroko?"

He paused, eyes glittering deviously as he purred, "Tetsuya?"

Kuroko swallowed. He backed away, but Akashi never let their distance grow, and soon enough, his back hit the wall. The redhead's smile was downright predatory, and it sent shivers of anticipation down Kuroko's spine.

"Akashi-kun--"

His next words disappeared, mind blanking out, formulating nothing but the sensation of soft lips on his own.

"My first name," Akashi whispered against his lips, eyes dark. Kuroko, dazed, could only respond with, "What?"

Akashi chuckled, and Kuroko found it to be one of the most attractive sounds he'd ever heard.

"Call me by my first name."

"I-I--"

"Come on, it's my birthday, Tetsuya." Akashi goaded, lips pulling up into that insufferable, _sexy_ smirk--

_'God dammit, Kuroko, what are you thinking--'_

He knew exactly how to push Kuroko's buttons. Ruffled, Kuroko frowned, but it was wiped off his face as quickly as it came when Akashi met his lips once more.

"Tetsuya," he whispered, lips brushing as they spoke.

"S-Seijuurou-kun."

"Drop the suffix."

"Sei... juurou."

This was bad. He was bad. _He was bad for him._ His heart was going to explode.

Didn't Akashi realise? Wasn't he a doctor--

\--wait, that was Midorima--

Wasn't he supposed to be intelligent?

As Kuroko frantically panicked inwardly, once glance at Akashi's face told him that he knew _everything._

_'"I am absolute", indeed.'_

But as Akashi leaned in for another kiss equally as intoxicating as the first, Kuroko found he didn't mind.

Because as long as he'd have him by his side, really--

He could be swallowed into darkness whole, lying in the pit of a snake's belly, dragged to the underworld, and still--

No place could make him happier.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**OMAKE:**

 

"Akashi-kun, I got us tickets."

Before Akashi was able to say a single word, Kuroko thrusted the said slips of paper into his hands.

"...A trampoline centre?"

"A giant trampoline centre," Kuroko corrected, eyes sparkling, "with basketball hoops."

".........."

"We can be like Kagami-kun," Kuroko whispered excitedly, attempting to entice his boyfriend, "we can fly and even have all those galaxy patterns around us. Infinite air-time. We'll defy gravity with this."

Kuroko nudged Akashi again, "Come on, Aka-- Seijuurou, please?"

Akashi met his puppy-eyes dead-on.

"Let's do it."

His eyes, too, were sparkling.


End file.
